Woodlands.co.uk
Greenridge Wood – Part Deux.
The mighty plans of men and beasts continue unabated with hiccups and head aches aplenty. Initial development, towards my utopian woodland haven, has taken its first faltering steps. A sixty metre fish pond has been excavated by Edward the Volvo digger man (is that advertising?) and to my eyes closely resembles, in all its murky watered splendour, a part of the Grand Canal in Venice, however an ex sea going friend tells me it looks more like the Suez Canal between Al Kantara and the Bitter Lakes, with trees. Each to their own, say I.
The recent rains have caused havoc with the continuing plans for this feat of civil engineering because it flooded up rapidly before I could install some piping Read more…
What do woodland owners do about sheds for storage ?
Some people who manage their own woodlands feel it would be easier if they had a shed or building to store things and to shelter when it rains. In principle, local authorities are positive about this as they want to see woodlands managed but in practice planning officers often fear that sheds are the thin end of a wedge that will end up with a residential development which doesn’t fit within the local development plan. Read more…
A weekend at the woodland skills centre
Our weekend at the woodland skills centre was an immensely satisfying experience. We attended the green woodworking course, spending 2 days making a three legged stool, learning in a process a number of techniques. We began with the raw material, having to split ash logs with a froe, before roughly shaping them with an axe. Read more…
Old Woodworking Tools – from billhooks to portable Anvils
Why do people buy old tools? According to Ian Fraser, who sells hundreds of antique tools each year, they are mainly bought to be restored and used. Tools such as billhooks and draw knives can be expensive to buy new and often the older tools have blades which can be more easily resharpened. Read more…
Woodland pedestrian gates (2)
Now to hang the gate.
Put the top piece of furniture on the gate. We will leave the bottom one for now as this enables us to reverse the hinges on the gate and prevent it being carried off by anyone. Now decide how high you want the gate off the ground. Read more…
Sheds in Woodlands
We did a survey on sheds for storage amongst woodland owners and although the sample is small, the results were nevertheless interesting . We had responses for 27 woods; 14 had no shed and 13 woods already had a shed in use. The woods were mostly between 5 and 14 acres in area.
The prime use for a shed is storage. All of the respondents quoted forestry tools and materials; all but three quoted camping kit, tables, chairs, kettles, Read more…
Weather effects and woodlands
This favourite of all small-talk topics merits attention after the hot April and subsequent very wet months of May, June and July. But I am not going to mention climate change as threatening, indeed potentially catastrophic, as this phenomenon is to all of us and our futures. The weather, particularly very wet weather, affects work in woods and their care and management for the small owner as much as for the large forest estate. Read more…